Remember Dustin Hoffman, that portable TV, and "three minutes to Wapner"? Well, about that…
Brothers and sisters in media-marination, the time may have come for us to do something terrifyingly grown-up: Consider the children. Gregg Easterbrook has an unsettling bit of news in this week’s Slate: Apparently, a new study suggests childhood autism may be related to… television.
Like you, I grew up with a parent (or two) telling me that television would rot my brain. I took this to mean that a viewing of Knight Rider might be considered (by a benighted society) slightly less edifying than reading The Pickwick Papers. I watched Knight Rider anyway, and that’s why we have this time together, you and I.
But according to the latest study (how I love that phrase), brain-rot isn’t figurative at all, if you’re under 3 and already suckling at the glass teat. It finds a correlation between the rise of home video and cable and the rise in autism. Nickelodeon launched in ’79; autism rates began their record climb in ’80. What’s more, there’s data suggesting that children who spent more time indoors in cable households were more likely to develop autism. Coincidence… or chilling coincidence?
Autism is poorly understood. It’s been blamed on everything from mercury to vaccines, though studies have failed to establish a connection. All we know is, the Amish are the least affected group. The Amish don’t do vaccines. Or Teletubbies. Or Steak-Umms. Maybe Steak-Umms are to blame? Cripes, I hope not. I ate a LOT of Steak-Umms. (Don’t judge me. It was the ’80s!)
Easterbrook (and some of the researchers he interviews) notes the measured abnormalities in the vision-processing of an autistic child’s brain, and postulates that high doses of flashy, 2-D images might be bad for a young, developing mind, which is trying to learn to process 3-D images. (That stampeding sound you hear is a thousand skittish parents rushing their toddlers into the IMAX 3-D dome to “take the cure.”)
So what does that mean for us, the media-steeped? It means what anyone who’s ever watched television already knows: TV affects the brain in profound ways. An adult mind imbibing TV can be either totally neutralized or lit up like a Christmas tree, depending on the program. Imagine the impact on a child’s brain, still grappling with language and the concept of Cheerios-are-delicious.
Sure, it’s just another study — and there’s a study-to-fit for every so-called theory, from Creationism to Dane Cook. But this will likely open up a new area of inquiry and (hopefully) spawn additional research: If 2-D images are the problem, does that mean sequestering kids in this increasingly screen-happy world? It may be that the computer/entertainment center is the new liquor cabinet, something to be kept out of reach and off limits until the time is right. (This is baaaaaad news for housebound new parents — but excellent news for satellite radio.) Until we know more, I know this: I’m keeping my as-yet-theoretical Baby Einsteins away from the one-eyed monster. I will, however, allow them to watch Witness, trusting its essential Amishness to counteract any ill-effects. And if I catch my 4-year-old daughter obsessively raising a barn in her bedroom, well, that’s a risk I’ll have to take. At least, until the next study comes out.
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That lede sort of made my morning…
From what I learned in my child psychology classes for my degree in human development (finally it gets put to use!) autism is still being understood by researchers and could be genetic (which is why the Amish don’t get it – they don’t really mix up the gene pool) or environmental or both.
As with most things in life, too much of anything is prolly a bad thing and too much TV at too young an age maybe worse but once the kid’s little neural connectors (that’s an official medical term btw) are set, a little TV won’t hurt. I mean us children of the 80s are OK, right? Right? Should I be worried?
All I know is that my nephew was developing just fine until he received some of his vaccinations after which his personality changed almost completely. He was actually advancing faster than his older brother but he came to almost a complete stop after that. He does watch a lot of tv but I think it’s because tv relaxes his mind to the point where he can focus.
Anyone who can’t figure out that it’s a bad idea to plop a 2-year-old down in front of a TV for hours at a time doesn’t need to be having children.
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Well, this study wins today’s prize for “most extreme case of correlation posing as causality”. Not that I’m saying that it’s good for children to be spending their formative years staring slack-jawed at a screen, but if the best evidence that the authors can present is that tv-watching and autism rates went up at the same time (not unlike the inverse relationship between Global Average temperature and the number of pirates in the world, see: http://www.venganza.org/), and their only control is the Amish, then I think the only thing that can be concluded from this study is that somewhere out there there is a group of psychologists who wanted to get their names in the paper.
Anna,
While Autism has not been genetically linked to the Amish, they have other genetic difficulties similar to what the Lebovitch Jews have. Some have been known to share the exact same eyeglass prescription. Genetists believe that this is due to inbreeding. Orthdox Jews and Amish have tried to eliminate this problem but it still exists in very limited amounts.
When I was a child I was diagnosed with dyspraxia which one might argue is similar to Autisim by two percent. Dyspraxia is when you are not aware of your surroundings. It can be treated and eliminated with the help of Occupational Therapy. I don’t have it now but I am wondering if perhaps both could have been due to television as a babysitter. When my Mom vaccumed the house, she plopped me down in front of the tube.
I suspect the rise in children’s TV watching and autism correlates just as closely to the continued decline in nutritional value in children’s diets. All those goldfish crackers, fruit gummies, and juiceboxes add up to a lot of empty calories (including, sorry, Steak-Umms). Autism, schizophrenia and ADHD are among a group of neurological disorders that have been linked to a deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids, which are conspicuously absent from all those prepared foods most Americans (but not the Amish!) feed to their kids. So let them watch Teletubbies occasionally — but give them some salmon on their TV tray!
Anna– One reason people think that vaccines are linked to autism is the fact that autism begins to develop during the same window of time (12-18 months) that kids usually also receive a lot of shots. It may be a coincidence, or not, but studies seem to show that vaccines do not cause autism. I for one am hoping we can figure this out asap!! It’s best not to let kids watch TV under 2 if you can help it, anyway.
Thank you, ncgirl, for pointing out what Anna didn’t – that there has been no study conclusively linking vaccines to autism. What there has been, however, is a lot of hysteria and a lot of parents deciding that they’d rather risk the general health of their kids and others by not vaccinating their children. Many of the recent measles and whooping cough outbreaks were completely preventable.
Ahem, now I’ll get off my high horse. As for the autism/TV link, I’ll believe it when I see it. However, I do notice that my daughter needs a few minutes to “get it together” after she watches TV. That doesn’t happen when she watches with me.
What alot of you seem to be missing here is the effect that autism has on a child. I am a mother of 2 autistic children- and I am completely fed up with naysayers and opinionists trying to blame autism on anything and everything. I am also sick of people who have no children of their own -much less autistic children -trying to sound like they have an educated opinion of something they don’t have a clue about. What television does (in small amounts) is allow the autistic child to get out of the world around them (which causes them massive stress b/c they cannot properly articulate what they think and feel). This is not to say this is used all of the time or it is a cure-all, but it is not as negative as some may ignorantly point out. As long as what my child is watching is educational (no, not Teletubbies)- I think it is OK in small amounts. Some autistic children are actually visual learners- so this works in that sense too. Sensory therapy works well, but you have to be able to get the attention of the child who is currently having a breakdown to work with the boards, playdough, books, etc. Sometimes- this is just completely impossible. Believe me, if you have an autistic child and they are absolutely losing their mind due to stress and the inability to say whats wrong- you will do whatever is in your power to make your child feel better. I think anyone as a parent with a sick, hurt or disabled child can completely understand and agree. If future scientists want to actually do some good in finding the cause of autism- start looking within the environment (because the boom of autistic children is concentrated to certain areas), or gene therapy. Stop trying to blame coincidences on a massive hike of this disability.
Paxamoert, that is a very good point on the lack of Omega-3 fatty acids. It is also due to a generation problem. Kids who were raised Sixties had parents who cooked with oils that were not good for a proper diet. Alice from the Brady Bunch and the lard anyone? Some parents who had kids in the Seventies and Eighties followed what their parents did.
scott, i just wanted to say that your post was really well-written. i’ve taught autistic kids for close to three years, and i think you hit the perfect note.
Stephanie, your post absolutely humbled me. It is easy to be glib about something you don’t have any personal experience with. Take care, and all the best to you.
Oh, I’m well aware that studies haven’t been able to link the measles-rubella vaccine to autism. I’m only saying that, in my nephew, that was the only thing that changed. I don’t know which vaccine it was because he got multiple ones done at the same time. The fact that he got multiple ones at once is actually more my concern than any one vaccine. I also don’t think that it was the only factor but I do believe that there’s a link. The fact they haven’t found it (yet) doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist. I believe that there are multiple factors that predispose children to autism and that there may be something in the vaccinations that is pushing some children over the edge.
As for vaccines, I happen to think that some of them are a great. Some of them are unnecessary and exist more for the convenience factor than to save lives. I wouldn’t suggest that people not ever get vaccinated but that they take a serious look at each vaccination and decide for themselves and their children what they need instead of assuming that the medical industry has their best interests at heart. Most healthy adults don’t need flu vaccinations for example but there are people who get them every year because they’ve been convinced that it’s necessary.
Anyway, I agree with Stephanie that the television watching is most likely something of a coincidence. Television acts as a brain sedative which is likely sort of a relief to a child with autism.
Martha,
Excuse me?! First off maybe YOU should stop watching television and going to the movies if all that you can come up with is a lame one line comment from Tom Cruise.
Secondly, I was thrown into SPED until the 8th grade because inclusion did not exist during the eighties. With the proper training and early detection, while Autism cannot fully be eliminated it can be shrunken down a bit. However, if a child was diagnosed with Dyspraxia and ADD such as I was, the Dyspraxia can be eliminated completely.
I’ve had aspergers syndrome before the vaccines and before I watched much television. Loud sounds bothered me when I was a baby like people laughing,dogs barking,people clearing their thourough, and sounds of vacums and thunder.
My autism seemed to appear intensifyed but I think school magnified what was already there what I was born with.
Whenever someone says vaccines did it I think swell, how am I suppose to go back in time to when I was a child and say no needles.
Even if Autism was caused by vaccines or earthquakes,comets,there is no stopping it.
I don’t think finding the cause is the answer really it doesn’t make me feel better to know who did it.
What matters is if someone tries to stop and understand me and what works best for me.
The vaccine debate and who knows what theroy doesn’t seem to help anything.
This is just how I feel, noone has to agree.
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